No leader of the people of Israel is more respected than Moses for his vast labours in God’s service, yet his story begins in cruel oppression and a basket among the river reeds. Why does God so often choose the most unlikely people to make the greatest accomplishments in His service? The Covenanting minister Alexander Wedderburn considered this question in a sermon on the Lord’s short statement to Joshua, “Moses my servant is dead” (Joshua 1:2). Although he notes exceptions to this generalisation, in the following extract from his sermon Wedderburn draws our attention to the cases where God’s powerful grace is gloriously displayed in employing very unexpected people in His work and the motivation this gives us for hopeful prayer for more servants and greater service.

These words contain Moses’ epitaph. They describe his origins, for his name “Moses” signifies “drawn out,” his life, “a servant”, and his end, “he is dead.” We observe that often, when God first finds His most eminent servants, He has to draw them out of some condition very unlike their following work.

Where God calls His people from

Obscure origins

Sometimes when God is about to employ servants, He has to draw them out of very low and obscure origins in the world. It is true that sometimes He has called those who are honourable in the world, such as Isaiah, who is supposed to be of the blood royal of the kings of Judah. But here He holds to the principle, “not many noble,” and He chooses “the things that are not.” Christ’s apostles were a company of poor fishermen — Amos, a herdsman — David, a sheep-herd. Erasmus was illegitimate, obscurely born in Rotterdam. The famous Gregory Nazianzen was often scorned by the Arians because he was the son of one who had once been a beggar.

Average giftedness

He often has to draw them out from a great deal of natural simplicity and weakness, in respect of skills and gifts. They may say, as Moses, “I am not eloquent.” It is true that some of them have been of excellent natural endowments, but often it is otherwise. That is why heathens used to draw the early Christians with the head of a donkey on their shoulders, denoting the simplicity they saw in many of them, and yet they were eminent servants of God. How ignorant, how timorous, and despondent the apostles were before the pouring out of the Spirit! How childish were a number of their questions to Christ, and frightened they were by such little things! And yet what excellent instruments they were for Christ afterwards!

Different pathways

God has drawn some out to service when they had been facing a different direction altogether, and their employments lying in a different way in the world. It is true that Jeremiah is supposed to have been a priest before he was called to be a prophet, and Ezekiel was the son of a priest. But frequently, God called them while they were working at the plough, like Elisha, or keeping sheep, like David, or the cattle, like Amos. When they were fishing, He drew them out, and made them fishers of men. The famous Ambrose was called from commanding armies to be bishop of Milan.

Active opposition

Some have been drawn out even when engaged in a great deal of opposition to God. Like Paul, they were persecuting Him, and were drawn out on the way to Damascus, and made chosen vessels to lift up His name. Famous Augustine was deeply committed to Manichaeism, a religious system whose principles tended towards denying the being of God, and overturning His law. Yet God took Him on and made him as eminent a light as any since the apostles’ times. Matthew the publican became the first writer of the New Testament, and Mary Magdalen, out of whom He cast seven devils, was the first preacher of the resurrection, and there are many other proofs of this.

Oppression and persecution

God has drawn some out from under very great oppression and persecution, and made them eminent servants. Daniel, a captive boy, outstripped all the Chaldeans in wisdom and the interpretation of hidden mysteries. What a great deal many of the worthy attendees at the Counsel of Nicaea suffered for Him! Some bore about in their bodies the marks of their tortures (such as Paphunitius, who lost one of his eyes in the persecution under Emperor Maximus). Multitudes of these instances could be given.

How the Lord leads people into unexpected service

All these are the more remarkable, if we consider the way of the Lord’s drawing out.

Words encountered

He has made His Word the means of drawing them out to His service, when they themselves were far from intending any such thing. Augustine came from Rome to Millan, merely to hear the eloquence of Ambrose, and yet God drew him out by Ambrose’s sermon, though he little regarded his doctrine. Virgerius sat down to write a book titled “The Apostacy of the Germans” in order to vindicate himself from suspicions that he had taken up Lutheranism, yet, turning over Luther’s books, in order to answer his arguments, was drawn out to great opposition of Popery, as he afterward manifested.

Unexpected events

Some are drawn out by one-off, unexpected providences, from which no such thing was expected. Justin Martyr came to observe the martyrdom of some of the martyrs, merely as a spectator and onlooker, yet by their constancy and cheerfulness he was prompted to inquire into their doctrine, and so was drawn out to be an eminent servant.

Small beginnings

When they have only intended some bit of service to Him, and to go no further, yet when it was done, He led them on step after step to great things. Luther intended no more at first but to overthrow Popish indulgences, but step after step he was led on to overturn the whole body of Popish doctrine. In a word, a small line in His hand is strong enough to draw out his most resolute adversaries.

Reasons why God chooses this way

Why does God so often choose this way? To lay the foundation for three things.

First, for His own praise, especially the praise of His power and grace. His power shines in it, how He can take any raw material and make a vessel of honour of it, and make a rose grow out of a thorn. What a great demonstration of power it was to take Paul on his way to Damascus and draw him then out! Besides, it demonstrates His grace, in the riches and freedom of it. No innate baseness, no affliction, no opposition to Him, can hinder Him from honouring them with His honourable service.

Secondly, to keep His servants humble. They remember how they were drawn out — “not worthy to be called an apostle,” and why? “I persecuted the church.” Eminent service is apt to puff up even the best, but when they look on what they were, and how they were drawn out, they must let their feathers fall.

Besides, thirdly, to help confirm the doctrine His servants deliver. When they first began to preach this doctrine, their faces had been looking a different way. “I was no prophet, nor son of a prophet,” said Amos, “and the Lord said unto me, Go, prophesy at Bethel.” What can be more rational then what Paul pleads in his own defence before Aggripa, that he had once been zealous in the Jewish Religion, and persecuted Christians, but could not be disobedient to the heavenly vision.

How we should respond

See the remarkable way which God has been constantly using to build His Church. He has not found polished stones to hand to lay in His temple, but had to hew them out of hard rock, and dig them out of a pit. So much the more we ought to admire His progress in the work. Just look at the beginning of our Reformation from Popery, and wonder at the instruments, and make sure you ascribe the praise to the principal agent. Luther in a monastic cell, Calvin a committed Romanist, Beza not only a Romanist, but loose-living, so that Romanists by way of reproach cast up his previous life to him, so that he was forced to say they envied him the grace of God — and yet what was achieved by these servants!

Take encouragement for the Church in the time to come. Often we come to a standstill, asking, “By whom will the Lord deliver Israel? And where are the instruments to be found fit for the work?” But cannot God who drew out Moses, draw out others? Either He can raise up new servants or elevate the spirits of those who are already in His service. What a change the pouring out of the Spirit made on the apostles! How boldly they now go to to the temple to preach! With what confidence and freedom of speech do they appear they before councils, and witness for Christ! The one who effectuated this is the same now as He was then.

Pray hopefully for those who are most indisposed for service, or most reluctant to it. We are dealing with one who can so easily draw them out, and make them vessels fit for His use. Augustine ascribed much to his mother Monica’s prayers, for, even when he was a Manichean, she did not cease to wrestle with God for him.

Keep humble if you are honoured with eminent service. Call to mind what you once were, and how you were drawn out to your work, and what do the best have but what they have received? And if they have received it, why do they glory in it, as though it had not been received?

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